Novak Djokovic edges out Andy Murray in three sets to win Qatar Open

Well, Djokovic did it in the end, and he probably deserved it. The Serb had three match points in the second set but couldn’t take them, and it looked like Murray had the edge, but Djokovic found an extra gear late in the third. Congratulations to him – it really was an excellent final.

Djokovic: “Definitely one of the best ways to start a year. I had three or four match points in the second set, he turned it around and I thought: wow. I hope this isn’t payback time!

He was close … all the way to the last shot you never know with Andy. It’s no strange occurence for both of us to play three sets for three hours. It’s a physical battle and we’ll need a bit of time to get ready for Melbourne.”

Novak Djokovic wins 6-3 5-7 6-4!

Djokovic falls behind 0-30, and this is just like before! But this time Murray makes a couple of bad errors, and we’re level again at 30-30. There’s just nothing between these two players. Murray hits the net again, and Djokovic has a 40-30 lead, and a fourth match point! And this time Djokovic takes it! What a match! Game, set and match Djokovic!

Murray surges ahead to 40-0, and though Djokovic just caresses a backhand winner down the lift, Murray clinches the game to 15. As in the second set, Djokovic has to serve for the match. He didn’t control his nerves too well in that instance – will he fare better here?

Djokovic looks to have the momentum, but he throws in a double fault and allows Murray to reduce the deficit to 30-15. No matter: his next first serve is big, and he wraps up the game rapidly. Five-three Djokovic in the decider, and Murray is serving to stay in the match.

Djokovic breaks in the seventh game of the third set!

Third set: Murray 3-6 7-5 3-4 Djokovic* (*denotes next server)

Now Djokovic looks like he’s wrested the initiative, and Murray is in a jam at 0-30. Now it’s 0-40, and Djokovic has three break points! And he takes the first of them when Murray can only find the net! Djokovic goes ahead, and this topsy-turvy match has moved again.

Djokovic starts off with a double fault, and then dumps a forehand into the net. 0-30, and this could be trouble for the Serb. Djokovic wins three points on the spin, but then he’s long from the baseline, and we’re at deuce.

Murray forces break point – but Djokovic saves it with his 13th overhead winner! And then Djokovic holds his nerve to hold serve! Hugely important hold for Djokovic, but as Boris points out:

Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker)

Whoever wins his service games easier ,saves energy for return games ! That will be deciding factor #Doha

Murray chugs ahead to 40-0, but Djokovic unfurls a terrific return to leave Murray scrambling. 40-15, and a chance to make it 40-30, but Djokovic completely muffs a forehand smash, and it’s game Murray.

About 7,000 fans are in the stadium in Doha, and they’ve been treated. This game has been quite something – and it’s not over yet. Djokovic draws level with an easy hold to love, and he needed that: Murray had grasped the momentum.

Murray wins the second set 7-5!

Second set: *Murray 3-6 7-5 Djokovic (*denotes next server)

Djokovic is all over the place here. He looked so settled, but he played a poor service game when the match was in his grasp, and he’s begun to unravel. Murray moves to 15-40 and two set points, and he takes the second of them! This match will go the distance!

More absurdly excellent play, and we’re at 30-30. It’s the first week of the season! The level is so high. Djokovic has an opening, but Murray moves to 40-30, and then Djokovic is so pissed off that he smashes his racquet and receives a one-point penalty! Game Murray, and now Djokovic has to serve to stay in the set!

Murray breaks in the 10th game of the second set!

Second set: *Murray 3-6 5-5 Djokovic (*denotes next server)

Can Djokovic hold his nerve? An excellent overhead smash from the back of the court takes him to 15-0, and then 30-0 after an excellent first serve. He’s two points away from victory. Djokovic, incidentally, has hit 26 winners to Murray’s 16. But then he throws in a double fault! Nerves. 30-15. Can Murray exploit this?

A piercing backhand and Murray is level at 30-30. Eesh, this is tense. And Murray fires a backhand winner past Djokovic for 40-30! Break point, and Murray can even the set here. But Djokovic plays a perfect point and finishes it with a wonderful inside-out forehand! Courageous. Deuce.

Advantage Djokovic gives him match point, but he’s wide on his backhand passing attempt, and we’re back to deuce. This is tense! An excellent second serve gives him match point No2, but Murray saves it! Third deuce. Wow.

That’s a brilliant point from Djokovic, though, and this is championship point No3. Oh no! Djokovic floats one long and we’re back to deuce.

Now Murray has the break point! This is some game. Some match! And Murray gets it! What an effort from Murray. Five all in second.

A poor start from Djokovic, and it’s 0-30. But Murray nets an easy backhand, and then Djokovic finds the white line with an overhead smash. 30-30. Murray misses another regulation forehand, and then Djokovic wraps the game up. He’s now one game away from victory.

Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser)

Murray a set and a break down. A streak of 111 consecutive matches in which he has broken serve could be coming to an end...

Djokovic breaks in the seventh game of the second set!

Second set: Murray 3-6 3-4 Djokovic* (*denotes next server)

Djokovic is down momentarily after a tumble, and Murray crosses the net to check if he’s OK, which prompts generous applause from the crowd. Murray throws in a double fault at 15-15, and this is chance for Djokovic. Now Murray is long from the baseline! 15-40, and two break points for the Serb. Big, big chance here.

Murray saves one, but then throws in another double fault! What a time to do so. Djokovic, who’s given very little away, takes the break of serve, and now he’s two games away from victory.

Murray looks to have put that first-set brain freeze behind him, and he’s playing well in the second. Mind you, so is Djokovic. Ooh, that’s a chance for Murray at 15-30 – a down-the-line pass is just wide, and Djokovic breathes a sigh of relief. 30-30, but it could so easily have been two break points.

But this time Murray does earn a break point! 30-40. Can Murray take it? No! Djokovic gets out of a hole, but that was a big chance for Murray. Deuce becomes advantage for Djokovic, and then Murray gets a lucky net cord! We’re back to deuce.

This time Djokovic does pass the test, and that’s a really important hold. Murray may live to regret those missed chances.

Djokovic just misses with a two-handed backhand pass, and Murray goes up 15-0. Then Djokovic does put away a smash – he watched it all the way on to his racquet. 15-15, but Murray shows soft hands at the net to go up 30-15, and again for 40-15! Lovely, delicate play from Murray, and he finishes the game and celebrates with a fist pump.

Both players getting into their stride on serve. Djokovic goes to 15-0, and then 30-0, and 40-0, and finishes the game with a confident put-away after his first serve forced Murray out wide. Two-all in the second.

Murray challenges a call at 30-15, but the line judge was correct, and Djokovic moves to 40-15. Murray looks like he’s simmering, but then Djokovic drills a backhand into the net, surprisingly, and it’s 40-30. No matter: Djokovic wins the next point, and it’s 1-1 in the second set.

Better from Murray, and he takes the first game of the second set with a confident hold to 15. But what happened at the end of the first set? Murray’s game imploded, Djokovic won eight straight points, and it’s a really tough ask for the Scot now.

Novak Djokovic reacts after winning a key point on the way to taking the first set. Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

Djokovic wins the first set 6-3!

*Murray 3-6 0-0 Djokovic (*denotes next server)

Murray has never beaten Djokovic when he’s lost the first set. And two more crass errors from Murray give Djokovic a 30-0 advantage. Now it’s 40-0, and Djokovic has three set points. And he takes the first one with a sumptuous down-the-line forehand. First set Djokovic, and Murray has serious work to do now.

Djokovic breaks in the eighth game of the first set!

Murray bares his teeth after missing a routine backhand to give Djokovic a sniff at 40-30. Then he’s long from the back of the court, and what should have been a hold to 15 is now deuce.

Long again from Murray! Three unforced errors in a row, and Djokovic has a break point. This is a huge opportunity for the Serb. Which he takes! Murray balloons one into the crowd, and Djokovic breaks!

That’s a lovely backhand lob from Djokovic – his 10th winner – and he moves ahead 15-30. But then Murray fires down a big booming ace for 30-30. There’s nothing between these two. Djokovic dumps an easy backhand into the net, but recovers to force deuce. Murray is cranky.

And what a point! Another brutal cross-court drop shot from the Scot to give him the advantage. And Djokovic is warned by the umpire for smacking a ball that came perilously close to hitting someone. Murray wraps up the game and Djokovic just stands there, hands on hips.

A slight delay for a belligerent fan to be removed from the stands. We’re only three games in but already we’ve played 22 minutes. It’s just so competitive. But then Murray rattles through to hold to 15, a game marred only by his first double fault.

This is good stuff. Murray unfurls a two-handed backhand to peg Djokovic back at 15-15, and then 30-30. Hm. Now Djokovic is calling for the trainer – it looks as though he’s got a cut on his finger than needs to be taped. A slight pause, but Djokovic is back, and play can continue at 30-30.

Another big forehand from Djokovic has Murray chasing around the court, and it’s 40-30. That’s four or five big groundstrokes from Nole already, but Murray is a grinder, and he outlasts Djokovic to draw even at deuce.

What a shot! A lovely drop-volley gives Murray break point, but Djokovic gets out of trouble with a big first serve. Djokovic is having to work hard here, but he gains the advantage with a disguised drop-shot that was almost as good as Murray’s earlier, and then holds on after Murray is wide from the back court. Game Djokovic.

Djokovic is playing plenty of big groundstrokes early on. Photograph: Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

Murray goes ahead 15-0, but then Djokovic unleashes that lavish forehand of his, and it’s 15-15. Another big forehand is backed up by a smash at the net for 15-30, but then he’s long on the return. 30-30. Djokovic completely mishits a regulation backhand return, and then Murray clinches the game with a super two-handed backhand lob that Djokovic can’t return. Game Murray.

Just taking a look at the 2016 end-of-year ATP rankings: Murray ended the season top with 12,410 points, and Djokovic was just behind with 11,780. The third-ranked player was Milos Raonic, with 5,459. Which is to say, in men’s tennis at the moment, there’s Murray and Djokovic, and then daylight.

Here’s Simon McMahon: “Afternoon Tim, and Happy New Year. Can we agree that Andy will remain plain old Andy, on the game-by-game at least? Well deserved and all that, but he’ll always be Andy to me. As for the tennis, it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure of maintaining the No1 ranking after his remarkable end to 2016, with Novak surely desperate to get back on top. No prizes for predicting that these two will probably meet again in the final in Melbourne, with a timely psychological boost for the winner today.”

Oh, definitely. Good on him and everything, but Sir Andy just doesn’t sound right, doesn’t it? I wonder who’s ripped the piss the most on tour. Kyrgios?

Hello and welcome

A tasty match-up in prospect in Qatar, and an alluring warm-up for the Australian Open, which begins later this month: Andy Murray takes on Novak Djokovic in the first ATP final of the year. Murray ended the year as the world No1, won his third BBC sports personality of the year, and to top it off, received a bloody knighthood! “Arise, Sir Andy,” etc, etc. His tennis is in supremely good order, and don’t bet against him winning his first Australian Open title in Melbourne at the end of the month.

Djokovic, who survived five match points before seeing off Fernando Verdasco in his semi-final here in Doha, is out to avenge his ATP World Tour finals defeat by Murray in November. He wants that No1 ranking back.

After the first three games went with serve, the Scot broke to make it 3-1 and from there he never looked back as he produced one of 10 aces to clinch the opening set with just 48 minutes on the clock.

Berdych, coached by the former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, showed some resistance early in the second set but could not capitalise on a couple of break points in the second game before immediately failing to hold his own service.

The pair then exchanged breaks before Murray saw the set out to set up a tantalising final with Djokovic, who saved five match points on his way to defeating Fernando Verdasco earlier in the day.

Murray, who won the tournament in 2008 and 2009, has now recorded 28 consecutive victories. “I want to try and keep it going, I feel a little bit like this year’s a fresh start,” he told Eurosport.

“The end to last year was a great way to finish the year but it’s great to be through to the final here and a great match against Novak tomorrow to look forward to.